Dissonance
by crabbyTomato
Summary: A subtle turn of past events triggered a massive change in the future. A mysterious army of men in pig suits assert their rule over Tazmily, save for a few defiant souls. The Magypsies have long foretold of their rise in songs, along with dark forces threatening to rip time apart, yet the only ones who can save the world are separated by centuries of time and death itself.
1. Chapter 1 - Butterfly Effect

**Chapter 1 — Butterfly Effect**

 _From the depths of my domain_

 _I rend their order asunder_

 _And of my dissonance, harmony I fashion._

— A verse from the Song of Locria, Book of Magypsies

* * *

Tazmily was never this cold.

Old Wess clasped frigid hands over his chest as he lied down on a creaky, stained bed. A thin, equally dirty sheet was bundled up underneath his almost bald head. A faint squeak from under the bed gave away a wandering mouse scurrying for crumbs of food in the dark.

He groaned and struggled to turn aside. The nice nurse lady said he needed another 'shot' again. He'd come to dread the word; it implied a painful needle driven into his mottled arm. It hurt, and a feeling of weakness confined his frail body to bed for the rest of the day. He knew she used it whenever he'd been 'unruly' with the swinehead troops. It's been the same since they decided he couldn't live on his own without being a risk. It was insulting the way they threw a net over his head and paraded him down the village to this miserable place.

Alec had to move in here as well after a lightning attack destroyed his little shack up in the mountains. Poor sod, with this happening right after one of his grandkids had been presumed dead — a beautiful child, yet Wess envied the boy. Only the living could feel the foreign cold gnawing at their bones. Wess also envied Alec. His daughter and her other boy visited often, bringing hot tea and food that tasted much better than the usual, bland gruel served here. Wess' limping moron never bothered with a visit, always up to no good in the big city, or so the nice nurse said when he asked her. He knew better — he'd raised a moron, but never raised a troublemaker.

Wess cursed the biting cold and gritted his teeth, feeling a bubble of indignant anger rise within him. Mapson noticed he'd grown much balder and said this was because of the frequent angry tantrums for which the old man was infamous, but Wess needed his anger. Anger kept the cold at bay, at least for the short while before he fell asleep.

* * *

 **Centuries Earlier**

The souls of four children stood before an abomination inside the cold frames of robots. The battle had been going on for what seemed to be ages, and the children grew weary with each passing minute.

 _'_ _Someone. Anyone,'_ a desperate thought echoed through the monstrosity's garbled wails, _'Please help us.'_

A spider-legged mech appeared through the distorted faces which filled the bizarre dimension they were stuck in. A young face, albeit discolored with an unnatural shade of blue, glared at the four humanoid machines with disdain.

"Prayers," the twisted child spat. "What a laugh! You idiots actually think silly prayers can do any good? I have essentially killed Giygas the second I stopped the devil machine, but this had gone on long enough."

The madness around them went silent for a split-second, before the flashing faces and the loud moans came back louder than their senses could handle. If the robots had faces that could convey any expression, they would be wearing one of absolute agony.

"It seems I'm going to run away," The person told them through Giygas' dying screams, "Maybe I'll just sneak away to another era to think up my next step."

 _'_ _You're not going anywhere, Porky!'_

One of the robots attacked the mech with a shower of psychic rays. The mech dodged, belying its bulky shape. A hook shot out from its front, hitting the robot and lifting it off the ground.

"You've been a thorn in my side for far too long, Ness," Porky said, mashing the buttons on his mech. "I can't put up with you messing up my plans anymore."

The hook impaled the robot, causing a glowing sphere to exit the trapped robot and disappear. The robot went limp and fell down. The mech stomped unceremoniously on it as it advanced forward towards the remaining ones.

 _'_ _Master Ness!'_

One of the weakened machines sprang at the approaching spider mech. A telepathic cry of horror sounded off from one of the remaining robots as sharp spider legs trampled the robot, slamming it repeatedly against the ground, before the mech carrying Porky levitated and warped out of existence.

The remaining two watched sparks emanating from the destroyed robots, before the devil machine exploded, casting everything in a white flash.

* * *

A hand nervously brushed through red hair as a pair of anxious eyes watched four motionless bodies lying on dry grass in a neat row, surrounded by a few stubby creatures.

"It's been way too long," a worried redhead said to an old man in a lab coat.

"Be patient, Anthony," the scientist said, then busied himself with an assistant, a burly man wearing a mining helmet. He flashed the redhead a reassuring smile.

Tony set his eyes on the four bodies. One in particular wore a green suit, his blond hair and pale face reflected the sunlight, giving him an almost angelic glow. He perked up when the blond's eyes fluttered open as he woke up with a gasp.

"Jeff!" the redhead cried out, hurrying towards the blond once the latter raised his upper half from the ground.

"Where…" Disoriented eyes looked up at the worried redhead, "Tony? What… How did you get here?"

Tony helped Jeff up on his feet, supporting the shaky boy with a firm grip around his shoulders. Paula, the girl next to him stirred and rose up as well. The rest of the scientist's team gathered around the other two, who remained motionless on the ground.

"What's wrong with Ness?" the scientist asked. "Why is the Prince of Dalaam still asleep?"

Jeff stared at the two with pained eyes then cast his head down as Paula broke into silent tears. Right before their eyes, the two bodies disappeared, replaced by lifeless robots. Jeff knelt down next to one of the robots and lifted its hand in his own. He shut his eyes and gritted his teeth, touching his forehead to the metal part.

"They… They couldn't make it."

* * *

 **A Few Years Earlier**

"Ugh. Is this really necessary?"

Three children, a girl and two boys, stood in front of a cave near the peak of Mount Itoi, one of the highest mountains in the region. The last time they were here months ago, it was to defeat a nigh-invincible alien. Only bringing the alien's past memories was the reason they got away with their lives.

"I told you I felt a huge PSI disturbance here," a boy wearing a neckerchief said to a white-haired boy, then turned towards the girl. "Can you sense it too, Ana?"

A blonde girl in a pink dress nodded, then faced the boy who complained earlier.

"I felt it too," Ana said. "I think it's worth checking out."

"If you guys could feel it from your homes all the way below," the white-haired kid said, adjusting his big eyeglasses. "Don't you think we should've come here a little more prepared? I don't even have anything on me if we run into something."

"Don't worry, Lloyd," Ana gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Ninten and I will handle it if anything happens."

"I still feel defenseless without a gun," he pouted.

"We could've asked Teddy to come with us, you know," Ninten said, entering the cave. "But I could only get you two on such short notice."

"So I'm just Teddy's replacement?" Lloyd asked, crossing his arms. He followed behind Ninten nonetheless.

"I didn't say that," Ninten said flatly, not turning around. "I said we could've asked him to come with _us_. As in 'you, me and Ana.' Besides, we faced Giegue with nothing but a bedtime lullaby. Have more faith in yourself."

"Right. I'm sorry," Lloyd murmured, an embarrassed flush crossed his face. Ninten didn't reply as he strode ahead. Ana stepped next to Lloyd and gave him a sympathetic smile.

"You know he means well," she said, then skipped ahead. Lloyd sulked behind. He looked around the dark interior of the cave. It still looked as unnerving as the last time they'd been here.

"Remember Giegue's last words to us?" Lloyd said after a while of silence. "He said 'We shall meet again.' What if he did come back? You don't think your great-grandmother taught you another song that works on him, right?"

"Giegue has a peculiar aura," Ninten said, "Whatever Ana and I sensed inside this cave is definitely not him."

"That's… reassuring?" Lloyd said, wiping a bead of cold sweat off his forehead. "Back then, we had an idea what was waiting for us. Didn't it cross your mind that whatever crawled in here now might be even worse than Giegue?"

Ninten shot him a wry smirk. "Oh, trust me, there's nothing worse than Giegue."

"Lloyd has a point," Ana piped up. "We should be a little more careful."

Ninten rolled his eyes, then turned around and stomped away deeper into the cave. Lloyd mouthed a 'thank you' to her.

After a while of walking inside the dark, barren cave, they reached the giant artificial hole where Giegue's spaceship used to hide. Even without the immediate threat of Giegue's presence lurking around, the three huddled together and approached the hole in skittish steps.

"I don't see anything here," Ninten looked around, "Or anyone for that matter."

"Strange," Ana mused. "I sense the disturbance as if it's right in front of me."

"Me too," Ninten said, before his eyes travelled to Lloyd, who was looking down the chasm in the middle of the cave.

"It never occurred to me to see what was down here," Lloyd said to Ninten, who stood next to him. "But I don't think we can see far enough to the bottom of this–"

A loud rumbling sound interrupted him, followed by Ana's scream. They whipped around to see her fall through a collapsed part of the ground. Ninten gasped and sprinted towards the newly formed pit. A few feet below, Ana struggled to get up amidst the rubble.

"Are you okay?" Ninten yelled at her. She dusted herself and looked up.

"I'm fine," Ana shouted back, then looked around her. Her eyes widened in shock. "Guys? You should see this."

Ninten jumped down the hole and landed next to Ana. A few seconds later, Lloyd followed, his feet hit the ground in a clumsy fashion.

"Careful," Ninten grabbed the stumbling boy and steadied him. Unlike the rocky walls of the cavern above them, this hidden area was lined by a smooth, ceramic-like material that glowed, casting a pale, greyish light on their surroundings. Alien devices, massive computers and other nameless pieces of hardware filled the wide chamber before their eyes. In the middle of the alien technology, an eight-legged machine rifled through various bits and pieces. When it turned around, it revealed a portly man at the helm. Upon closer inspection, he had discolored skin, and stared the three down with a maniacal grin.

"What's this? Is that Ness?" the man muttered, as if speaking to himself. "No, no, no. These are the kids who brought Giygas out of his sanity the first time. They look as pathetic as the other ones."

Intimidated, Ninten and Lloyd stepped back, but Ana's PSI was quicker than her thinking.

"PK Beam!"

A white beam of light shot out of her hands straight towards the mech, but it dispersed into harmless rays just inches before it made contact with its target.

"A PSI shield?" Ninten's jaw dropped. "Who is this guy?"

"I'm done with this place anyway," the man ignored them, continuing his inner monologue. "I suppose I can take those three and turn them into a fun experiment when I'm in the mood."

Ninten squinted as a psionic waves rippled under the alien devices, converging into a vortex that replaced the floor underneath. The spider mech and the alien devices slowly sunk inside the rapidly expanding swirl as if absorbed by quicksand. The three children backed away, eventually finding themselves against the wall. Lloyd threw Ninten and Ana a panicked look.

"Do something!" he screamed, squirming against the angled wall. The creeping PSI touched Ninten's foot, dragging it slowly along everything in the room. Ana and Lloyd grabbed his arm, trying to pull him out to no avail. He turned to face the other two.

"I'm stuck. You two get out of here," he yelled. Ana stepped behind Lloyd, taking up the last few feet of untouched ground.

"We're not!" she yelled, tugging harder at Ninten's arm.

"I can't get free, so _leave_. TELEPORT!" Ninten screamed, shoving a fist into Lloyd's chest. Everything sharply backed out of view, replaced with mad blurs as teleportation PSI lifted them away.

The world around Lloyd's eyes slowed down, the blurry surroundings solidified into the familiar forests surrounding Podunk. He winced at the dull pain in his chest. That definitely will leave a bruise. He turned to see Ana standing next to him, but Ninten was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

Claus jumped out of bed at 8 o'clock sharp. His eyes immediately travelled to the few bags he'd packed up the night before. Today was the day his mother took him and his twin brother to visit their grandfather in the mountains and play with the Dragos. His barely-contained excitement bubbled as he shot out of bed towards his little brother's side, startling the younger twin awake.

"Wake up, Lucas!" Claus barked at the other nine-year old, who let out a yelp as Claus yanked the sheets off his body.

"Ugh. _Whaat_?" Lucas whined, groggily rising up. "What time is it?"

Claus tapped his foot with impatience. "It's time you get your stupid butt in gear. We got a heck of a walk to Grandpa's shack."

Lucas gave his brother a bleary eye. "It's too early."

"It's not. Rise and shine," Claus said, parting the curtains to let in light. Lucas grunted and pulled the bedsheets on top of his head, much to Claus's annoyance. He marched to the bed and forced the covers off the bed entirely.

"I told you, wake _up_." Claus barked into Lucas's face. The latter scrunched his nose and drew back.

"Eugh, did you even brush your teeth?"

"Nope," Claus beamed.

"Stink-breath," Lucas murmured, pushing a hand into his brother's face and getting out of bed. He suddenly broke into a sprint past his brother.

"I get the bathroom first," he called behind his shoulder.

"No fair, I woke up first!" Claus yelled after him. Lucas had a nasty habit of hogging the bathroom for ages, so Claus figured there would be no toothbrushing until this twin decided to get out. He went to the mirror next to the fireplace, rubbing sleep gunk off his eyes and hand-brushing his red hair.

"Lookin' handsome," he grinned to himself, adjusting his fiery locks, before noticing something amiss — Mom was still asleep.

That almost never happened. Mom and dad always woke up at dawn, so that dad would tend to the sheep while mom made breakfast. Dad's side of the bed was made, which meant he was already outside. Hinawa lied down on the bed, awake but visibly tired. Now that he thought about it, she did seem a little off yesterday.

"Mom?" Lucas approached her bed, worry evident on his face. "What's wrong?"

"Hey, sweetie," Hinawa tried to sound fine, but her voice came out a thick croak. "Mommy is a little sick, so don't come too close or you'll catch a cold too."

"We're still going to Grandpa's right?" Claus shot her a nervous smile. Lucas frowned at him.

"Is that all you have on your mind?" Lucas chastised. "Can't you see mom's tired?"

Claus puffed a cheek in annoyance. Before he could reply, Flint walked in, hoisting a pitchfork on his shoulder. Claus immediately jumped towards his father.

"Dad, mom is still taking us to see Grandpa, right?" he said, giving Flint his best puppy eyes. Flint sat down his tool and sighed.

"Your mother's got a fever, son," he said. "I think a visit to gramps can wait 'til she gets better."

"But… She promised to take us today," Claus frantically said, "Can't you take us to grandpa, dad?"

"Nope. Gotta tend to the sheep," Flint leaned on the wooden handle of his pitchfork, apparently amused at his son's distress.

" _Please_ dad?" Claus whined, then turned to his twin. "Lucas, tell him."

Lucas fidgeted, not appreciating being put on the spot. "But… he's busy and Mommy's sick, and—"

" _Fine!_ " Claus threw his arms in the air. "Be like that if you want. Some brother you are. From now on, Fuel is my new little brother."

"But Fuel's a year older than us," Lucas said, apparently more confused at the illogic rather than being promptly disowned.

"At least he always sides with me," Claus shot back, angry veins bulged from his reddened neck.

"Claus," Flint exclaimed, shooting him a disapproving look. "Cut it out. Apologize to your brother _now_."

Claus stiffened. He gritted his teeth and bit his lip, before he sighed and grunted a halfhearted "Sorry" towards Lucas.

"It's fine," Hinawa said, sitting up and leaning her back against the headboard. "Claus? Why don't you take Lucas and play with your friends for today? We'll go to grandpa tomorrow morning."

"I… I want to stay home," Lucas said, bunching some of Hinawa's bedcovers in his hand. "I want to look after mom."

Claus shot him an infuriated glare, then turned around to leave. "Ugh. I'm going."

Before Claus' hand touched the front door, Flint placed a hand on top of his head, stopping him in his tracks.

"I don't know what you're thinkin'," he drawled, "But no son of mine's leaving the house barefoot and in his pajamas."

* * *

Claus kicked a loose pebble off the stony road with a grunt. He was still steaming from having such a letdown first thing in the morning. Although the more he thought about his tantrum, the sillier it sounded, but his pride refused to acknowledge he was in the wrong. He spotted Fuel standing near the town well. Claus approached his friend with purposeful stomps, coming to a stop next to him. Fuel hoisted a bucket of water out of the well and set it next to the low stone wall lining the well.

"Hey," Fuel said, then took a long look at Claus. "Didn't you say you were going to visit your grandpa today?"

"Don't remind me," Claus said. "Mom caught a cold, so she can't get out of bed today."

"Aw, tough break."

"Whatever. What are you up to?"

"Since you're here and with free time," Fuel said, lifting a heavy bucket of water and handing it to Claus. "Here. Help me get this to my place."

Claus tried not to drop the weighty bucket. He balanced it in his grip so the thin metal handle dug less uncomfortably into his palm.

* * *

Claus set down the bucket and groaned, his arms and back felt sore after a long walk into the forest with the heavy thing in his hand.

"I don't get it," he panted. "How can you carry two of those here every day?"

"I'm used to it," Fuel grinned, before he looked at a point behind Claus. "Oh, hi dad."

Claus turned to see Lighter, a big man with black hair and a goatee, carrying a two-by-four plank of wood.

"Morning, Mr. Lighter," Claus greeted.

"Oh, hello Claus," Lighter said, then went silent for a beat. "When did you kids come here?"

"We just arrived," Fuel answered. "What's wrong?"

"You didn't run into any strangers on the way?"

Claus and Fuel exchanged a bewildered look, then shook their heads.

"It's probably nothing," Lighter said. "I just saw a few men in strange getup run around the forest carrying strange, heavy-looking things. Didn't want you running into them."

"Sounds cool," Fuel said, intrigued. Lighter didn't seem to share his son's opinion.

"In any case, I'm off to work," Lighter adjusted his plank. "I'll probably see those strange folk again. You two kids stay inside and _never_ open the door to anyone who isn't me, got it?"

* * *

Lucas placed a candle on the nightstand next to Hinawa. Since Claus had left, he'd been fussing over his mother despite her assurance she was fine. She smiled at his worried expression when he replaced the damp washcloth on her forehead.

"As much as I like being doted over," she said, "You shouldn't worry about me, sweetie. It's just a fever. I'll be alright."

"Claus sure is taking his time coming home," Flint said as he lit up another candle and placed it on a flat candleholder on the table.

Lucas looked through the window towards the orange sky. "Maybe he's playing with Fuel?"

"Probably," Flint got up. "Take Boney and go tell Claus to come home."

"Me?" Lucas lifted his eyebrows and pointed to himself.

"Yes," Flint adjusted his hat. "You haven't left the house all day. Be back before dark."

Lucas looked behind at his mother, who nodded and smiled.

"O-okay."

After he pulled on his shoes, Lucas paused, sniffing the air.

"Do you smell that?" he asked. Hinawa shook her head.

"I don't think I can smell anything right now."

"Smells like something's burning," Flint said. "Maybe it's the rancher nearby burning off hay."

"But Mr. Butch is afraid of fire, dad," Lucas said, then walked over to the front door. When he opened it, he saw a man running towards the house, almost plowing into the boy. Lucas recognized the man as Thomas, who ran the town's bazaar. Thomas supported his hands on his knees and gulped for breath.

"Flint!" he yelled, "You gotta do something quick. It's a fire!"

Flint bolted up and hurried towards the man.

"Calm down. What are you saying?" he asked, "What fire?"

"It's the Sunshine Forest," Thomas said through his panting. "It's on f-f-fire. A huge fire. All over the forest."

Flint ran past the barely-coherent man towards the sheep pen. Lucas followed behind and gasped at the view.

Rising columns of thick smoke turned the whole sky north of Tazmily pitch black. Underneath, vast stretches of the forest glowed red in a sea of flames, matching the sunset. Lucas' heart sunk down to the floor.

Claus must be trapped somewhere inside the blaze.

* * *

 **A/N: Hey. :D I had this fic in the works for a while, so it's great I can now get it out here. I've only written fics with one protagonist and one story arc, and this one has three so it's going to be a long story. I'm assuming the readers know the games' story and characters, but I tried introducing characters as best as I could. Not that I'm keeping it all canon. I'm more like taking canon and making it stand on its head. Anyway, if what happened to Ness, Poo and Ninten was too jarring or the chapter was too vague, I'll just say they're still pivotal characters in this story and it won't be the last time we see them. Everything should be explained in due time. Not sure if I'll be updating on a consistent schedule, since this is me we're talking about, but I'll try updating as often as I can.**


	2. Chapter 2 - Forest Fire

**Chapter 2: Forest Fire**

 _Though the terrible flame swept all there is_

 _Fields ablaze, eyes desperate_

 _A glimmer of hope shines, ephemeral._

 _— A verse from the Song of Doria, Book of Magypsies_

* * *

Flint's throat went dry at the ghastly scene in front of him. He ushered Lucas into the house despite the boy's protests He told Lucas before he shut the door in his face. He broke into a run, while Thomas followed behind and struggled to keep up.

"Where's Bronson?" he said, keeping a brisk stride.

"Jonel and Bronson are already in the forest," Thomas said through heavy panting. "Slow down, will ya?"

Flint paid him no mind, crossing the village square and into the clearing to the north. They hurried past the village bell, where Leder hammered it with three successive knocks— a signal of distress.

"Flint," Thomas croaked, stopping to a halt. "I'll have a heart attack if I keep running like this."

With an irritated sigh, Flint stopped and turned around to face a red-faced Thomas. "We're in a hurry. My son might be stuck in the fire."

"I know… Ah, just gimme a moment to breathe."

At a grudgingly slower pace, Flint forged ahead into the forest. Ed, the barber-surgeon, stood near the felled tree at the entrance of the forest. Two men stood in front of him, whom Flint recognized as Ollie and Butch.

"Are you two out of your minds?" Ed said, a furious glare scrawled on his face. "This is a _fire_. It's no joking matter."

"Course it ain't a joking matter," Ollie said. "I-I want to help."

"Then help by staying out of the forest."

"Gentlemen," Flint said, rushing past Ed, Thomas followed swiftly behind. Butch's jaw fell to the floor, watching the two men disappear into the smoke.

"You're letting them in, but not us?" he said, pointing to their retreating back with outrage.

"Flint knows what he's doing and Thomas is supposedly the village's fireman," Ed said, barring the rancher with an outstretched arm. "You two might get stuck in there or worse, burn or choke to death."

Flint didn't hear Butch's reply as he ducked under a burnt branch. He looked calm and coherent, marching onwards deep into the forest. However, his mind was a buzzing mess. His pulse thumped in his ears, and his stomach lurched with worry. He silently prayed he would find Claus before anything happens.

* * *

They found Lighter first.

The burly man lied down with his back to the trunk of a tree, struggling to breathe. He had shallow, criss-crossing wounds all over his face, neck and arms. Flint noticed the splintered plank of wood in the man's grip had a bloodstain on its side.

"Goodness, what happened to you?" Thomas said, crouching near Lighter. "Those wounds look terrible."

Lighter tried to form a coherent word, but a fit of hacking and wheezing seized him. He jerked a shaky finger towards the corpse of a large rat lying nearby. Its body had unnatural dents in multiple places from Lighter's bashes, and its singed, grey fur parted at the back to reveal a pair of… wings?

"Flint, look," Thomas pointed at the creature. "What kind of rat is that?"

"It was relentless," Lighter managed to say through his cough. "I killed the thing, but I inhaled too much smoke by then."

"This is bad," Thomas scratched his hair from under his hat. "That rat might have carried the plague or—"

"The plague is the least of my concerns right now," Lighter said, clutching Flint's arm. "My son. He's still trapped in the cabin. Claus is with him."

"Find them, Flint," Thomas said. "I'll look after Lighter."

"Go get Ed," Flint said, standing up. "Lighter needs medical help, and he's in no shape to be at the business end of your fussing."

* * *

Fuel wrapped a bundle of rags around a hot doorknob in an attempt to exit his room. The cabin caught fire a few minutes ago, yet the blaze had already spread out to the entire wooden dwelling. Behind him, Claus spread bedsheets over a lick of flames that crawled from underneath a wall to smother it. Fuel couldn't see a mere foot in front of him due to the billowing smoke. He crouched on all-fours to avoid the plumes of acrid smoke, motioning to Claus to do the same. After a few laborious minutes of crawling down the staircase, they heard someone pound at the front door.

"Help!" Claus cried out to whoever was outside. "We're stuck here."

"Stand back," Flint's voice came muffled through the door. "I'm gonna bust the door open."

A moment later, Flint slammed through the front door, knocking it aside. The rattle caused a burning beam to fall down from the ceiling, trapping the two children in the space between the stairs and the door. A buzzing noise filtered through the sound of crackling wood. Claus froze in his tracks and looked behind. A swarm of glowing bugs descended from the upper floor. He would've mistaken them for mere fireflies if they weren't zeroing in on them in alarming speed.

Fuel lifted a bucket and dumped its contents on Claus' head. He grabbed the second bucket and doused himself in cold water as well, before he grabbed the younger boy and sprinted towards the flames separating them from Claus' father.

"Run!"

The two jumped through the fire towards Flint, evading most of the incoming swarm, which burst into flames upon contact with fire. One insect flew into Claus' face, but Fuel swatted it aside. It latched onto his left forearm and dug its mandibles into his skin. Fuel cried out, tugging at the bug to dislodge it. Color drained from his face as he watched its translucent abdomen glow, growing larger and brighter. The firefly popped, its gel-like content splattering all over Fuel's arm. There was a brief, sharp whiff of alcohol, before the part of the bug embedded in Fuel's coated limb generated a spark.

Fuel let out a bloodcurdling scream as blue fire erupted on his arm. With horrified eyes, Claus watched Flint whip around, shoving a screaming Fuel to the ground and smothering the fire with his jacket. Once he deemed the flames extinguished, Flint lifted the garment. Fuel lied down, his sooted face took on a bluish pallor and he his breath came out in quick, shallow puffs. An angry, splotched red mark stretched along his arm from his wrist to the elbow. Flint quickly lifted the injured boy between his arms and wrapped him with the jacket.

"Claus," Flint said to the frozen boy, nudging his back with an elbow. "Hurry. Get a move on."

Claus jolted and ran behind his father out of the blazing cabin. He looked behind to see the roof buckle into the meager dwelling, sending a final plume of thick smoke into the suffocating air.

* * *

Sporadic drops of moisture dribbled from the sky on the way to Tazmily. By the time the villagers escorted Lighter and Fuel to Yado Inn, the distinct pitter-patter of rain echoed against the windowsill, putting to rest a potentially heated argument between the men over containing the forest fire.

The working girl at the inn, Tessie, wrapped another piece of gauze over Fuel's burn, while Ed dabbed an alcohol-soaked piece of cotton on Lighter's injuries, eliciting a hiss of pain from the stinging touch. Fuel recovered from the initial shock, and proceeded to bawl his eyes out as Tessie dressed his burns, unmindful of whatever pride he had by doing it in front of Claus.

"It was a smart thing they soaked themselves with water," Bronson said. "Otherwise they would've burned to a crisp. How's his arm?"

"It'll heal," Tessie said. "But I'm afraid it'll leave a scar."

Fuel stopped crying for a moment to give her wide eyes.

"Are you going to chop off my arm?" he said in a quivering voice. Bronson chuckled and ruffled the brunet's hair.

"Hell, that's a good arm. You're keepin' it, kid."

Tessie shot him a disapproving glare, while Fuel seemed to be more at ease. He wiped his face with his good hand, only wincing whenever Tessie's nimble fingers touched a hurt spot for too long.

"It's been ages since it rained," Ed said, observing the raindrops from the window. "A godsend, considering the circumstance."

"That should take care of them bugs," Bronson said. "I ran into a few of 'em in the forest. They just latch onto a tree then, _bam!_ They blow up. I'm lucky I had the sense to bring a crowbar with me."

Flint adjusted his hat, facing Lighter with a grim expression.

"One of those creatures burned Fuel," he said, then cast his head down. "I'm sorry I couldn't stop it in time."

"I'm sure you did your best," Lighter said. "You saved my son's life. I owe ya, Flint."

Fuel let out a pained cry when Tessie used small pliers to pluck an object embedded in his burnt skin. She carefully placed it in a deep plate.

"What is that?" she said, eyeing the bloody piece. "It's not alive, isn't it?"

"Eh?" Bronson approached her. "Let me see that."

He took the plate from her hands and picked up the foreign body between his index and thumb fingers. The object was no larger than one's pinky fingertip, made of metal and looked like a hollowed out upper half of an insect. Out of curiosity, Flint and Ed peered over Bronson's shoulder to check it out.

"Look at the detail on this thing," Ed said. "It almost looks real."

"I don't know any way I can make such an intricate piece," Bronson said, placing the metal insect inside the plate and setting it on a nightstand. "And it's not exactly made of any metal I know of. I'll take a proper gander at it later."

The door opened, and the innkeeper, Jackie, poked his head in.

"Um, is everything okay? Do you guys need anything?" he said, scanning the room with timid eyes.

"We're good," Tessie replied, finishing up bandaging Fuel's arm and getting up. "I know you need me to clean up the next room for that guest of yours. I'll be out in a second."

Jackie nodded and left quickly. The other men gave Tessie questioning glances.

"A stranger came in the other night and rented the room down the corridor," she said. "He told us he'd come back in a few days after an excursion inland. Jackie's been fussy over making sure the room stays top notch for the guest."

"Wait," Lighter said, stopping Tessie before she closed the door. "What did he look like?"

Tessie's eyes turned to the ceiling as she tapped a finger to her cheek. "Let's see. Thick moustache, black hair and white headdress. He wore really strange clothes." She shrugged, "I wouldn't think much on Jackie's fuss over the stranger. You know he takes the inn's reputation seriously."

She said that and shut the door behind her. Lighter furrowed his brows. He was silent for a few moments.

"Before the fire broke out," he said. "I saw strange men hauling big boxes around the forest. I saw one open a box and letting out a swarm of glowing insects."

Flint, Bronson and Ed turned to him in surprise.

"The devil you say," Flint said, eyebrows lifted in incredulity.

"They looked like normal fireflies from a distance," Lighter scowled. "I thought I'd follow those men after I return. Besides, I was in a hurry to catch Bronson before he closed shop."

"Right," Bronson said, recalling the fact. "You asked me to make you a saw this afternoon."

Claus watched the adults talk. Quickly growing uneasy, he stalked closer to Fuel's bed and sat next to his friend, staring at the floor in uncharacteristic bashfulness. He shifted his feet, at a loss of words. If Flint felt guilty, then Claus should feel downright ashamed. After all, Fuel got that hideous burn because of _him_.

Fuel giggled, jolting Claus into lifting his head. "Look at you. Your face is all black and covered in soot."

Claus stared into Fuel's tired smile and puffy eyes, searching for any signs of blame or malice. He found none.

"I'm…" Claus broke eye contact, twiddling with the hem of his shirt. "Sorry about your arm. It's all my fault."

"Hey, it's no big deal," Fuel said, flashing Claus a toothy grin before he hissed from accidentally touching his bandaged arm.

Claus lifted an eyebrow. Fuel spent the last half an hour crying up a storm. He opened his mouth to point that out, before Ed and Bronson stood up.

"Right, We should leave you two to rest," Bronson said. "We can talk about those strangers when we can breathe a little easier."

Flint followed suit and stood up, then nodded at Claus. They said goodnight to Lighter and Fuel then filed out of the room.

"I bet your mom and brother are worried sick," Flint said as he closed the door behind him.

As if on cue, the inn door flew open, letting in a drenched, wild-eyed Lucas. Claus saw a blur of blond hair before his twin brother tackled him in a hug, nearly knocking the pair on the ground. Half of Lucas' words garbled with sobs into a snivelling mess on Claus' shoulder, whose ears reddened in embarrassment for his twin.

"Quit it, you crybaby," Claus awkwardly patted Lucas on the back. "I'm fine, I promise."

"There's no shame in crying," Flint said, flashing his sons a crooked smile. "Believe me even _I_ felt like crying in that forest."

The door opened for a second time, revealing an exhausted Hinawa. She stood in the doorframe, leaning on her soaked umbrella. She scanned the inn for her husband and son, and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw them unharmed. Flint jumped at her side, concern evident on his face.

"You shouldn't have gotten out in this weather," he said. She smiled and shook her head.

"It's just a mild fever," she said, straightening up. "I can get out of bed just fine. I swear you all worry too much."

"Lucas, you're choking me," Claus pushed at Lucas' shoulders in an attempt to pry him off.

"No." Lucas held on tighter, much to Claus' discomfort.

"I heard about Lighter and his son," Hinawa said. "Are they all right?"

"Yeah," Flint said. "Lighter should be fine, but Fuel got a nasty burn on his arm. They'll recover. Those two are tough as nails."

"Oh," Hinawa said, fishing out a small jar from her coat. "I thought I'd bring this in case someone got injured in the fire."

Claus managed to peel his twin off himself and approach his mother. He eyed the container in her hand with curious eyes and picked it up from her. He opened the jar and sniffed its content.

"Hm? It smells like sesame," Claus poked his finger into the paste and gave it an experimental lick. His face instantly turned sour. "Eugh, it's _awful!_ "

Hinawa chuckled, taking back the jar. "That's because it's an ointment, dear. You're not supposed to eat it."

Claus stuck his tongue out at the bad taste. Hinawa gave the ointment to Tessie, who lent the boys an extra umbrella for the road. As the family walked back home through the quiet village, Claus listened to the steady beat of rain. Lucas held up the umbrella over their heads and huddled next to his twin, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. Normally, Claus wouldn't let Lucas carry the umbrella or lead the way, but the harrowing experience in the forest melted away any willingness to argue. He leaned on his brother shoulders and closed his eyes, taking in the sound of rain and Lucas' body warmth.

* * *

The next morning, Claus woke up to the sound of multiple people talking at once. He almost dismissed it as a dream before he cracked open an eye, catching a glimpse of his grandfather across the house. He bolted out of bed so he could greet his grandpa, but stopped when he saw the scowl on the old man's haggard face as he spoke to Flint. Claus noticed Lucas standing right next to him, nervously toying with the hem of his shirt.

"Good morning," Claus said, stifling a yawn and eyeing Lucas, who already wore his everyday clothes. "I must've slept like a log if _you_ woke up before me. When did grandpa come?"

"A while," Lucas said. "They've been going at it since he came in."

Claus gave him a confused look. Lucas pointed at the two bickering adults. Flint stood with his arms crossed over his chest, while Alec glared at him from under bushy, furrowed brows. Hinawa sat at the dining table, propping her head on an elbowed arm and watching them with weary eyes.

"A creature that wouldn't harm a fly suddenly went mad and ate your livestock," Flint said in a deadpan. "Right. Here I thought I'd seen enough surreal crap yesterday to last me a while."

"I know what I saw, boy," Alec wagged a finger in Flint's face. "It was a drago. It ruined the crops and stomped the hens, I tell you."

"A drago attacked grandpa's ranch?" Claus said, his eyes widened in alarm.

"Dad doesn't believe him," Lucas sat next to his twin. "I don't know, Claus. Dragos eat tree leaves, not animals."

"Please," Hinawa finally said. "Dad, calm down. Flint, would you just listen to what he has to say?"

Flint sighed and dropped his arms to his sides. "All right. Let's start over. What happened exactly?"

Alec adjusted his hat and exhaled a hot breath through flared nostrils. He sat down opposite to Hinawa and took out an elongated, curved object from his coat pocket. It was almost a foot long, and tapered into a pointy end.

"I found this in the middle of the gory mess," Alec said, setting the pointy thing on the table. "After that creature ran off, of course."

"That's…" Hinawa did a double-take. Flint sat down next to her and took a better look at the item.

"A drago's tooth," he completed. "And a huge one at that."

Alec threw him a smug, 'told-you-so' look. Hinawa pointed at the fang's wider end.

"Hold on," she said. "Dragos have really powerful teeth. How come this one fell off so cleanly?"

Alec looked down as if he noticed the tooth for the first time. "Now that you mention it, that is strange. Makes sense, though."

Flint raised an eyebrow and ducked his head, silently asking his father-in-law to elaborate.

"Half of the monster's face was mangled," Alec said. "Scars and metal all over it. Never saw anything like it before."

"Metal…" Flint hummed to himself. He lifted his eyes to Alec. "By any chance, did you run into people in strange getup? Dressed like pigs, strutting around with heavy hardware."

Alec nodded. "They sat up a ton of strange contraptions all over the hills. They ignored me when I went down here."

"Lighter saw them too. That was just before the fire."

"That's the damnedest thing," Alec said. "You don't suppose they're…"

"I do," Flint got up and grabbed the disembodied tooth. "I'll see if Bronson can make something useful out of this thing."

"What for?" Hinawa said, looking up at him with concern.

"I'm going to the mountains. I need this fang if I run into that drago, otherwise I'm defenseless."

"You shouldn't go," she said. "I don't want you to risk yourself."

"Eh. Times like these call for nice, reckless guys like Flint," Alec said with a jovial grin. "If need be, I'll tag along too."

Hinawa threw him a glare. "Not helping, dad."

"Fine by me," Flint said, then turned to his wife. "I promise, we'll be careful."

"I don't like this," Hinawa frowned. "The mountain has always been peaceful. I never heard of strangers or aggressive dragos before."

"And that's why I have to find out what those pig suits are up to." He knelt down and cupped her cheek with a hand. "I promise I'll be back before dinner, alright?"

She bit her lip and looked aside, before she sighed and nodded. Flint's lips quirked up in a smile, then got up. He exchanged a look with Alec, before the two men left, leaving the house in heavy silence.

Hinawa held her head in her hands, looking lost in thought, while the twins exchanged wide-eyed stares.

"Did you hear that?" Claus barely kept his voice in a whisper, excitement glinting in his eyes.

"I still can't believe Annabelle is dead," Lucas cast his head down. "She had the softest fur."

All the excitement suddenly drained from Claus, who fixed his twin with a flat, half-lidded gaze.

"The sheep? That's what concerned you?" he said. "Also, Annabelle had fleece, not fur, and she stank."

"She didn't stink," Lucas said with an indignant pout.

"Did too."

"Your face stinks."

"Whatever," Claus rolled his eyes, then leaned towards his brother. "You heard dad and grandpa. They're going to the mountain to look for that drago."

Lucas gave his twin a worried look— the one he always did whenever Claus was up to no good.

"You want to follow them there?" he said in a statement more than a question.

"Smart boy," Claus threw him a smirk. Lucas' expression turned into a scowl.

"How? Mom won't let us go there anyway."

"Easy. We just tell her we're going to see Fuel and return Tessie's umbrella."

"You'd lie to mom?" Lucas gasped. Claus clamped a hand on his twin's mouth.

"Not so loud," he hissed. "It's not lying if we actually _go_ to the inn before we leave."

Lucas knit his eyebrows. A second later, he pried the hand off his mouth and huffed. "Okay, but on one condition."

"Which is?"

"We have to visit Fuel. I don't want to lie to mom."

* * *

 **I recently broke a finger, thanks to a wayward football. :L Naturally, it made writing the latter part of this chapter a maddening thing. The sequence of events would jump into my head faster than I could type them with a damaged finger and another one buddy-taped to it, so I ended up with a highway pileup of a headache and an angrily throbbing hand. XD**

 **Review responses:**

 _ **Connor the speling pro:**_ Ranking my writing over a published author is a huge compliment, mate. Thanks. ^^

Yeah, I get what you mean. This story is not a novelization of Mother 3. The fic starts a little similarly, then diverges away into a story of its own. You can already see it's no longer confirming to canon since Hinawa is looking at the drago's tooth instead of, you know.

Technically, the criticism made up 32.1% of your review, which is an okay percentage. :P And it's not nitpicking when you raise perfectly valid points. I don't actively (lol) watch adverb usage, but I shy away from ones like 'conscientiously' or adding them to dialogue tags. Speaking of those, I did use a lot of fancy dialogue tags last chapter, so I kept that in mind this time. At least I didn't reach the level of " _'Ha ha ha,' he giggled_ ," which is a line from an actual bestseller I won't name. XD I tried avoiding dialogue tags altogether at times which makes it kinda sound like a fancy dialogue tag.

 ** _PKTofuMaster:_ ** Latin class? Dang, that sounds actually fun AND daunting. Then again, there _are_ tons of Latin-derived terms in med school, right? (Sternocleidomastoid, anyone?)

Yeah, I think chapters will mostly stick to a single POV (Kind of like Connor's Ceres, where POVs and places rotate by chapter) since it's less confusing this way.

That Fuel pun, though. I can't even... XD And I didn't put a time tag before that bit with the twins? Oops. Heh, heh. I couldn't come up with a proper way of saying Centuries Later, but a little before Wess ending up in the ironically-named "Old Man's Paradise," since he mentioned a few things in the first chapter that didn't happen yet. :P

Yup. Ness, Poo, Fassad and multiple other characters remain in the dark. For now. :3 Haha thanks, and I'm waiting for your next update. :D


	3. Chapter 3 - Bear-Tiger

**Chapter 3: Bear-Tiger**

 _All before him is dark._

 _Trembling, he walks,_

 _Shrouded in the shadows of the abyss of time._

— A verse from the Song of Aeolia, Book of Magypsies.

* * *

A sinking feeling of dread engulfed Ninten when Lloyd and Ana disappeared, but he remained trapped in Giegue's former base.

Without his friends trying to pull him out, his body sank further inside the quicksand-like vortex. The spider mech hovered in the air, its pilot watched him from under greyish-blond hair that obscured his eyes.

"So it's just you now," he said. "You have no idea how much you look like _him_."

The pointed way he spat the word 'him' made Ninten knit his eyebrows, but he remained silent. The vortex had swallowed his entire lower half, making the hovering mech look much larger from his lowered perspective.

"What were you up to when Giygas went mad, I wonder?" the mech pilot threw him a scrutinizing look, then shook his head. "Doesn't matter. You won't live to see it anymore."

Ninten screwed his eyes shut when his head finally went under. A feeling of weightlessness went through him as his body fell through the vortex and into nothingness. Ahead, the spider mech and the heavy hardware from the base became pinpricks against the vast void. Thin, sporadic streaks of color drifted through the dark space around.

Everything seemed suspended in time; the mech remained a distant, yet constant detail, and Ninten eventually lost the passage of time. After what felt like an eternity of floating, a speck of light appeared ahead, rapidly growing into a wall of dazzling white light. The mech, along with its helmsman blinked out of existence just before touching the blinding wall of light.

Only with a relative object Ninten realized the unbelievable speed his body soared through the void. Primal fear told him he wouldn't make it in one piece if he slammed into the light. He balled his fists and willed his mind to concentrate. Futile the attempt might be, it was all he could do.

"4th-D Slip!"

The dazzling light disappeared along with the void.

* * *

Instead of the vacant space he'd been in, Ninten found himself in the middle of a dark, dusty hall. He fell on all fours, trying to get his bearings at the sudden return of gravity and the deafening ringing in his ears, before he picked up his fallen hat from the ground and stood up on wobbly legs. Faded red carpet lined the rubble-littered floor around him, and the walls had multiple places where bits of plaster fell off, revealing rectangular blocks of stone behind. The portly man in the spider mech was nowhere in sight.

Ninten felt a shiver crawl down his spine. He wrapped his arms around himself in an attempt to ward off the biting cold. Mt. Itoi had warm summers, yet this place was _frigid_. Silver light filtered through the narrow windows, illuminating thin patches of the wide hall. From what Ninten could see in the moonlight, the ruin looked like a medieval castle. He approached the slit-shaped window and peered through. He saw little past the outcropping on which the castle stood. A forest was probably located on the other side of the hill, but the night cast everything in muddling shadows under the starless sky. No sign of civilization as far as he could see.

"Great, I got stranded in the middle of nowhere," he mumbled to himself, backing away from the window. "Way to go."

Ninten advanced down the hall, shaking like a leaf in the freezing air. He cursed his limited PSI stamina. 4th-D Slip took a taxing amount of power, so until he restored his mental reserves enough to teleport, he had to roost in this icy rock. He stopped when he heard noise from outside. He went back to the window and looked to see tanks barrelling across the creaky bridge into the courtyard. Behind the vehicles, a platoon of men marched into the courtyard. Their silhouettes looked plump, and helmets obscured their faces. At the front, a person in a white headdress stood in the middle of the courtyard, facing the castle.

The figure motioned for the platoon to march on into the castle. The troops stormed inside the abandoned building, filling the floor beneath Ninten with heavy footsteps. Ninten couldn't place what would a bunch of heavily armed men want from this place.

Unless that man in the mech sent them after him.

Ninten found his legs scramble in an aimless run through the vacant chambers of the castle. His heart thudded out of control and he felt his chest tighten. He slowed down to a careful walk, peeling his ears for any incoming soldiers. They made little effort to conceal their presence, their stomping footsteps accented peculiar pig-like grunts and squeals.

After a few minutes of wandering around the endless hallways, Ninten heard a brief, faint scream behind a door across the chamber he stood in. He went to investigate, but hid behind a stone pillar when a group of soldiers marched down the corridor linking to the other room. Ninten kept the low posture towards the double door, eventually sneaking past the soldiers. He waited until they were out of earshot before turning the knob. He stepped into the room, clicked the door shut and turned around.

Only to find a PK Freeze hurtling towards his face. He jumped aside with a yelp, tripping in the process.

"Who goes there?" A stern feminine voice sounded from the top of the stairs ahead. He couldn't see who stood at the other side.

"Who are you?" he said, trying to get a better view of the mysterious person.

"Me?" the girl said. "Who are _you_ , and what are you doing here?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing," Ninten said, taking a step forward.

"Come no closer," the girl snapped. "I'm blind as a goddamn bat and I got my leg stuck in this stupid-ass trap, but I swear I'll burn you to a crisp if you take one more step."

Ninten opened his mouth and closed it, unable to find a proper response.

"You didn't answer me," the girl sounded gruff. Was it really a girl talking to him? "Are you one of those swineheads?"

"Swineheads?" He frowned. She must have meant the strange men he'd almost run into earlier. "I'm not one of them. I'm from, uh… around."

"You're from the village? What are you doing here?"

Village? Dang, he must be a _long_ way from Podunk.

"…Sightseeing?"

"Ha. Good one, but I'm not biting."

"Okay," Ninten said, testing the waters with a timid step. "How about I help you out of that trap you're stuck in? Then you can ask whatever you want."

The girl was silent for a beat. "Why?"

"Just as a gesture of goodwill?"

"Gesture of…" she trailed off. "For someone who sounds like a kid, you sure have a way with words."

He winced. Lloyd had been rubbing off on him. "Right. Can I move now?"

"If you come too close, I'll roast you."

"Noted."

He climbed up the stairs in slow, deliberate steps to let the mystery girl know where he stood. A mop of unkempt pink hair appeared in his line of sight, before revealing a teen girl a few years older than him on the ground. Ninten winced at the sight of a bear trap clamping its serrated jaws around her ankle, where a small puddle of blood pooled around it. Her eyes were screwed shut, and the skin around them had a reddish tinge. If it wasn't for the voice and the pink hair, she didn't look much like a girl with her rough appearance.

"Getting an eyeful or what?" she said. "Why are you just standing there?"

"How did this happen?" He noticed the girl taking rapid, shallow breaths. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of her face. She hid her pain behind gritted teeth.

"That big-nosed bastard caught me off-guard," she said, her voice descending into a growl. "I ran away after toasting some of his pig lackeys, then I ended up trapped here."

Ninten blinked. Her story made little sense, but he reasoned he could ask her to elaborate when she didn't snarl at him like a caged animal.

"That's close enough," she said, jabbing a finger at his direction. Ninten froze in his tracks.

"How am I supposed to help you if I'm not allowed to touch that thing?"

"I was thinking of cutting my foot off," she said with a deadpan.

"That's… a little drastic, don't you think? Just let me remove the trap, all right?"

"…Ugh, fine."

The girl crossed her arms in front of her chest and let out a huff. Ninten took it as a sign to approach her. He took a skittish step around her to kneel next to the metal contraption. There was a small latch that held the trap's jaws together, but he needed to keep pressing down the latch in order to free the girl's leg. He placed a foot on the latch and struggled with his two hands to pry the serrated jaws apart. The girl withdrew her foot once he managed to open the trap wide enough, then he immediately let go, causing the contraption to clamp shut again with a loud _'clang'._ The girl dusted herself off and stood on her good leg.

"There we go. Thanks, kid," she said. She drew her injured foot over her good knee and placed a hand on it. "PK Healing."

A second later, the wound on her leg disappeared under freshly-healed skin.

"Can't do jack all about the eyes." she rubbed her eyes with her fists. "Dammit. I hope it's only temporary."

She jerked her head towards Ninten's general direction. "Hey, kid. You'll get me out of the castle."

"Me?" Ninten pointed towards himself. "But I don't know the way out."

"You can see, so you'll have to do. Make it another one of your 'gestures of goodwill', okay?"

At her full height, she stood half a head taller than Ninten. She could place a hand over his head without reaching up, thanks to the height difference between them.

"Damn," she said, her lips quirking up into a smirk. "You _are_ a kid."

Ninten batted her hand away. "What did you think I was?"

"With that squeaky voice of yours? Someone who received a kick in an unfortunate place."

Ninten thanked his luck she couldn't see the hot shade of red his cheeks took.

"I can just leave you here to the soldiers, you know."

"Do that, and I'll snap your neck." She tightened a hand in front of his face for good measure. He backed a step.

"Sheesh. Okay, I won't."

She grinned, smacking his back. "Attaboy."

The girl struck with enough force to make Ninten cringe. She had that kind of wiry strength he bet she could take a buff guy like Teddy in a brawl. He made a mental note not to get into a fight with that girl anytime soon. He stood in front of her, unsure how to lead her out. It felt awkward, especially since he had no idea who she was or where was he stranded.

"So how do I, uh, lead you?"

"I'm not crippled," she said. "Well, not anymore. Just let me take your arm."

She extended a hand and Ninten let her grab his arm. The two walked out of the room.

"You know where we're going?" he said, hoping she didn't actually count on _him_ navigating the dilapidated ruin.

"Sure I do. We're leaving this dump."

Getting out sounded fine. Maybe he'd find that village she spoke of so he could rest until he could find his way back to Podunk from there. They spent the better part of an hour wandering through the castle's hallways. Avoiding the soldiers proved an easy task, since they marched with loud steps and louder voices. Ninten described the surroundings to the girl as best as he could in the dim moonlight.

"So," he said after the two rounded a corner. "I didn't catch your name?"

"Kumatora," she said in a grunt, then went silent.

"You're not asking for mine?" he said with an amused tone.

"I don't care. No offense, kid."

"None taken. In case you changed your mind, I'm Ninten."

She scowled. "Okay, Ninten. I may be blind now, but I can well hear pigmasks coming. You better get us out of their sight. _Now_."

Ninten's eyes widened. He could hear the sound of heavy footsteps approaching from the other side of the corridor. He grabbed Kumatora and ducked behind a collapsed portion of the wall nearby. A moment later, the voices of two men came into earshot.

"Damn ghosts," one of the soldiers' voices filtered through. "Ugh. I could still taste their breath."

"Mr. Fassad threw 'em in the kitchen," the other said. "We won't run into any of them now."

Ninten felt the hair on the back of his neck bristle. "Ghosts?"

"This castle's haunted," Kumatora whispered back. "They're harmless, but a few stink like polecats. Don't ask why."

The two soldiers stood in the hallway entrance and engaged in idle talk. Time passed by, and the two showed no sign of leaving. Ninten eventually let out an exasperated sigh.

"This is not working," he said. "Hold on a second."

"What," Kumatora said, letting a mild squeak when Ninten pushed her down and abruptly stood up in full view of the soldiers.

"Hey, losers!"

The two pink-clad soldiers perked up at the sudden call. One pulled a weird-looking gun from his hip holster, but Ninten already fixed them with PSI.

"PK Hypnosis."

The soldiers froze for a moment, before they sunk to the floor in two snoring heaps. Ninten puffed his chest and placed his hands on hips.

"Hah. Did you see that? Sleeping like babies," he said, grinning at Kumatora, whose face tightened into a deep scowl. Ninten's grin faded into a nervous smile.

"Uh… Right, sorry. You can't see," he said, scratching the back of his head. Kumatora's scowl tightened into a snarl.

He opened his mouth to ask what's wrong, but the pink-haired girl tackled Ninten and pinned him to the wall by the neck in one sweep.

"Alright, you little twerp," she growled. "You better come clean with me."

"Gah— What for?"

"How did you learn to do that?" she pressed her arm harder against his squirming body.

"I… I just do!"

"Cut the crap. Nobody in Tazmily knows PSI, so tell me who really are you and where did you come from."

"I know it sounds hard to believe, but I don't even know where I am." Ninten said, struggling for breath. "I don't know how I ended up here."

Kumatora kept him pinned down for a long moment before she got off of him and backed a step, her scowl still in place.

"You don't seem to be lying," she said. "But I still don't believe you. I'll take you to Aeolia. She'll know what to do with you."

Ninten wheezed and sputtered. He fished his inhaler out of his pocket and took a few puffs. Curse asthma and that girl's domineering attitude to hell and back.

* * *

"This place stinks."

Ninten scrunched his nose at the musty smell of the underground passageway Kumatora led him into. Earlier, she marched him across the courtyard, where a sword-shaped object was embedded in the middle of the grass. When he asked about it, she answered with a curt "none of your damn business," and instead instructed him to lift a large manhole hidden behind a few overgrown weeds, revealing this stinky, rat-infested passage they walked in at the moment.

"Yeah? Well, it's the only way out of the castle the pigmasks don't know of. Deal with it."

"Okay, who are those pigmasks and why are we running away from them?"

She lifted an eyebrow at his general direction. "You really have no idea, don't you? They appeared a few months ago, building bases and who-knows-what all over the place further inland."

"Inland? We're on an island?"

Kumatora heaved a sigh. "All right. You either stop playing dumb or just shut up."

Ninten fell silent, contemplating the new bit of information and his current situation. He was crawling down a dark passage underneath an abandoned castle on some island, with an unfriendly blind girl and an army of mysterious men who dressed like pigs probably chasing them. This felt worse than being cornered by Giegue's huge robot. This time, Ninten had a feeling nobody will suddenly show up riding on a tank to save the day.

"Hey, kid. Are you even listening?" Kumatora's irritated voice jarred him from his reverie. He scowled.

"Don't call me kid."

"Whatever. Can you spot a ladder around here?"

His eyes landed on a rusty ladder on the wall ahead. "Yeah. Right in front of you."

Kumatora approached the wall and groped for the ladder, eventually gripping its handles and proceeded to climb it. She stopped at the top, where the ladder met the solid ceiling. She punched the ceiling twice.

"Coming or do you wanna stew in here?" she said, twisting to face Ninten.

A circular portion in the ceiling above her parted, revealing an exit enough for them to climb out. Ninten followed Kumatora as she got out.

"Oh, gosh." Ninten heard a peculiar voice. "Kuma, darling, you look like a disaster."

It sounded like a man's voice, but the way he spoke struck Ninten as overly effeminate. He climbed the ladder and got out through the exit. He rose up to find himself in the middle of a spacious house. All shades of pink highlighted everything from the floor to the walls save for the huge brown sofa placed near the balcony. Nearby, the strangest person he'd ever seen stood, fussing over Kumatora.

He (…she?) had pink hair like Kumatora's, done in a puffy afro, dressed in all-pink from the frilly fur coat to the high heels. A goatee circled the person's pinched mouth as they examined Kumatora's face.

"Geez. I'm fine, Aeolia," Kumatora said, looking a little flustered.

' _That's_ _Aeolia?'_ Ninten thought.

"Oh, please," Aeolia said. "What am I going to say to Ionia? She'll have a fit if she sees you like this."

"She's right, sweetie. You look horrible." A deeper voice sounded from behind Ninten. He turned to see another strange person sitting at a table. Instead of pink, this one chose purple for the peaked cap, overalls and shorts covering muscular, but chubby legs. A pair of sunglasses and a stubble framed the square face.

"Stand still, Kuma dear," Aeolia said. "This will sting a bit."

Kumatora obeyed and relaxed her taut muscles as Aeolia placed a gloved hand on her face. She hissed when Aeolia's hand glowed a faint green. A moment later, Kumatora pulled her face away from the glowing hand and opened her eyes.

"Damn. It's good to see again," she said, blinking a few times. "Thanks."

"What happened?" Aeolia said.

"Pigmasks stormed the castle. One of their leaders could use PSI, so he caught me off-guard with a PK Flash."

"Did they find anything?"

"I wouldn't worry," Kumatora said with a shrug. "They're wicked dumb, so they won't find any secret passage if it bites them in the—"

"Language, girl," Aeolia's guest frowned.

"I see. We'll talk about this. Anyway, who's the cutie?" Aeolia nodded at Ninten, who felt a knot of unease twist in his stomach.

"Oh." Kumatora turned her eyes towards him. "He helped me out of the castle just now. Ninten, was it? I owe ya one."

"Uh, yeah." Ninten nodded, facing Aeolia. "Nice to meet you, sir… ma'am."

"I prefer 'ma'am', darling," Aeolia said. "It's just personal taste. It doesn't make a difference."

"He says he doesn't know how he ended up in Osohe castle," Kumatora said.

"Oh, you don't?" The other person said, sipping from a cup.

"No, ma'am," Ninten said, standing in a stiff posture.

"We call Doria a sir," Aeolia said. "Even though he's really just a big girl."

Doria just grinned. He added a cube of sugar into his cup.

Aeolia looked Ninten up and down, scratching her goatee. She lifted Ninten's chin with a delicate touch, gazing into his eyes with an inspective stare. Ninten squirmed under Aeolia's unnerving yellow eyes.

"Hmm… I swear I've seen you before." She struck the palm of her hand with her other hand. "Oh, I know! You're Maria's great-grandson."

"Who?" Kumatora threw her a confused look. Ninten's eyes widened.

"How'd you know?" he said after a few seconds.

"Oh, I'd recognize you anywhere, honey," Aeolia said. "But I'm surprised you're here now of all times."

"Yeah, I'm surprised myself," Ninten said, scratching the back of his head. "I don't know where I am."

"Whoa, whoa. Hold on." Kumatora stepped between Aeolia and Ninten, glaring at the former and pointing at the latter. "You _know_ this pipsqueak?"

Ninten opened his mouth to protest, but Aeolia chuckled and shook her head. She sat on the massive couch and threw a leg over the other.

"Of course we do, dear," Doria said. "All of us Magypsies met him once."

Ninten raked his memory for any time he'd met the flamboyant drag queens.

"I don't think we've met," he said. "When was that?"

Aeolia fished out a photo album from underneath the cushion. "When feathered bangs were in fashion," she said, thumbing through the pages. She presented Ninten with a photo of her wearing a hairstyle similar to what his mother would wear, if his mom had a stubble or pink hair. He shuddered at the thought.

"Mixy rocked it like nobody's business," Doria said. "She should wear it again."

"Would you please quit the fashion talk and make sense?" Kumatora said, tapping her foot.

Ninten shook his head. The photo didn't ring any bells. "Sorry. I still don't think I've met you before. You're probably mistaken."

"Aeolia's never wrong," Doria said. "We just didn't look half this pretty when you met us."

"Let me give you a hint, darling," Aeolia said, stuffing the photo album into the couch. "Look at this house. It's made out of a hollowed seashell. Where have you seen this before?"

Ninten frowned, before it dawned on him. He drew a sharp breath.

"Magicant!"

* * *

 **A/N: Hurray. Finally, I could type without the hassle of a busted finger. :D I needed some time to find the plot again, but here I am... Until uni starts and plunges me into grad year projects, that is. Haven't got much more to say, so I'll get to the reviews.**

 ** _Me me mewtwo:_ ** Thanks. I'll try posting more often.

 _ **Emeraldpichu:**_ I don't suppose Dr. Andonuts did anything criminal. Sending kids across time... Morally questionable? Probably, but we'll see what happens to him eventually.

 _ **Connor the speling pro:**_ Well, in the meantime you've started a new fic with Fox and began the 3rd Ceres book (I'll have to read those after I post this). That's good progress, mate. XD

Avoiding every possible mistake would be like wiggling around the words, making everything sound too awkward. I think writers would be like, 'Ehh... Whatever!' and write a cringeworthy line or two, but delivering a good plot overall. Hopefully by the next chapter or two this fic will have diverged completely from Mother 3.


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